But Home Is Nowhere
by Nejidragon
Summary: Ed, Al and Envy are alchemically transported to the Harry Potter world. They must adjust to the language, culture, and most of all, Envy and Ed have a hard time keeping the peace. Rating may go up, no pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Ed felt a tremendous pain throbbing within the confines of his skull, and he couldn't help but groan as consciousness more aware of his discomfort. Just what the hell had happened? He frowned, trying to remember. He and Al had been out in the middle of some random and isolated town. They had been following up on a rumor that a new version of the incomplete Philosopher's Stone had been developed there. They had scoured the entire village and questioned everyone. In the end, it turned out that the man had only been developing a theory on the Philosopher's Stone, never actually experimenting with it. When he had gone, so had all of his research.

While the lead had brought them to a dead end, the trip had been somewhat worth while. They had befriended the locals and gotten another lead. They acquired the address of the man. It turned out he had moved to a town about a three days' walk from there. They had phoned the Colonel, and had decided that it was best to go look there next. Just as they were leaving the town to search, however, they had run into-

"O'Chibi-chan, you're finally awake."

Envy.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo everyone, I know I promised a same-day update, but my computer literally died. We had to order about $370 in new hardware for it x.X So I overtook my parents computer just for you guys :D I do apologize, though. I felt really bad T.T

Oh, for those of you who won't pick up on this without me telling you, they're currently in the Hogwarts hospital wing.

**Chapter 2**

Ed groaned at the sound of Envy's voice. He felt that he was laying on something soft, the first indication that they were no longer at the place where he had lost consciousness. It also seemed strange that Envy wasn't attacking him in any way.

"What the hell...?" Ed muttered, trying to sort through his thoughts.

"Oi, Chibi-chan, chill for a bit. I'm not going to fight you here. We're definitely not in our world anymore, and if you die, who'll make the Philosophers Stone for us?" Envy called from what seemed far too close for Ed's comfort. He could practically hear the smirk in Envy's voice.

"Of course," Ed mumbled, glancing at his enemy, "If being civil to me means it'll somehow pay off for you later, you'll endure it a thousand times over, right?I should have figured."

Envy laughed. "You know me too well, Chibi." Ed twitched at the nickname and sat up, pushing the thin white sheet off of himself. It was then that he became aware of a sleeping figure taking up a good portion of the lower part of his bed. Ed's eyes widened as he caught sight of a golden head of hair and the peaceful, relaxed face under it.

"A...Al?" he gasped. The mop of hair stirred, and two bleary amber eyes crawled out from under their lids. Said amber eyes stares at him, and for a few, brief seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, there was a rush of movement, and child-like arms were wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air.

"Nii-san! Nii-san, you're okay! I was so worried! You and Envy were out for _days!_ Envy just woke up this morning. Oh Nii-san, _look_ at me!I'm in a human body again,_ my_ human body! Isn't it wonderful? It must be because we went through the Gate. Oh, and there's only one person here who can speak out language, and his beard is really long and his accent is _really_ horrible!" Al talked very quickly, making everything come out in a big rush. Ed blinked and uttered a sound something akin to "uh..."

If they really had traveled through the Gate, what had been the exchange? Al? Or had they simply run into Al's body inside the Gate? Despite his happiness for his brother, the seemingly overlooked price for passing the Gate plagued his mind. Envy rolled his eyes at the lack of response from Ed.

"He always was a man of few words." he commented, boredom evident in his voice. Ed glared at the sin, not bothering to detach Al. He looked down at himself and noticed the absence of his normal attire.

"Ne, Al, do you know where my stuff is? As much as I _love_ hospitals, gowns don't suit me." He gestured at the thin material that was doing a rather poor job of keeping him warm in the cool hospital. AL smiled and pulled a piled of clothes off of the floor,

"I have your things too, Envy. Do you want them?" Al asked, holding up the garments. Envy shrugged.

"Hell, why not. I know how good my clothes look on me. You probably can't resist me, right?" Envy stretched out provocatively on his bed, his own hospital gown riding up dangerously high on his long legs.

Ed growled and slammed his hand down on the bed. "Will you shut the fuck up! You are _not_ the first thing I want to hear after being alchemically teleported to some random dimension!" he snapped, making a violent hand gesture in Envy's direction. He received a look of mock hurt in return.

"You've wounded me Chibi, you really have," he taunted as he caught his clothes that Al tossed at him. Eds face darkened, and he sat up straighter.

"Nii-san," Al said, worry evident in his voice," Envy hasn't done anything untrustworthy, I promise. Can't you two just relax? You may still be injured."

Ed scowled. "I feel fine. Sitting next to him is what makes me ill," he spat. Envy gave a barking laugh.

"Oh, Chibi, trust me, the feeling is mutual."

"So something that isn't even human can feel hate? I wasn't aware that was possible."

"You'd better watch it, Chibi."

"Oh, and if I don't?"

"You may find that newly restored brother of your suddenly missing mysteriously."

"You leave Al out of this, you bastard!" Ed snarled, clenching his fists.

"STOP!" Al yelled, his bright eyes squinted shut. Ed's features immediately softened, and he laid a guilt-ridden hand on Al's head.

"Ah, gomen, Al..." he said awkwardly

There was the sound of a door opening and closing, and a very tall and very odd looking man strode down the rows of beds that Ed was just now noticing. The sweeping midnight robes, to Ed, looked downright ridiculous with the waist-length white hair. Beside him, Envy made a face of unmasked disapproval of the older mans appearance.

"Well," the man said, coming to a halt between the two beds, "it looks like everyone is alive, awake ans well today."

Ed twitched slightly. There was just something about this man that bothered him. It was like he was emitting a superior aura, and Ed hated being downsized, even if it was by some damn aura.

"Dumbudoru-san! This is my brother, Edward Elric." Al introduced his brother politely with a soft hand gesture. Dumbledor bowed, then extended a hand.

"Elric-san, allow me to formally welcome you to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

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This is my guess of how a Japanese person would pronounce Dumbledor's name. I know that technically Ed and the gang aren't from Japan, and it peeves some people when they're written using Japanese words, but tough luck if that applies to you, because in the anime, they speak Japanese, not German.

I actually wrote this chapter on a piece of receipt at work ( I work at a store) while I had nothing to do. It's still in my pants pocket somewhere, and I'll probably write the next chapter the same way tomorrow XD Hopefully we can revive my computer soon, because my Dad was like, "Watcha writing, huh? Let me look!" and I was all... "SHUN!" I hate it when people do that >.>; Anyway, I'm sorry if the chapters aren't long, but I'm just sort of going with it right now.

Ja ne amigos! X3


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone, thanks so much for your reviews X3 Sorry that this chapter took a few day, the paper that I wrote it on got lost x.X So I had to start it all over again, and it's frustrating because I liked it better the first time, but as many of you know, it's nearly impossible to write something the same way twice. -.-; So now, while I'm listening to Apocalyptica (awesome band, check it out on youtube), I am typing up the new version of the chapter. Warning, some minor Ed and Al angst ahead. Why? That's just how it was meant to be

The first part of this chapter took up about 9 inches of receipt paper that I wrote tonight at work when I was bored , ; Shhh…don't tell my employer x.X

**Note** that whenever I refer to the **homunculi**, I'm referring to the up-to-date **MANGA **

**VERSIONS**. If you aren't familiar with them, I suggest you go look them up so you don't get confused.

And now, I shall take this opportunity to reply to reviews! 8D

**Bluie Twilight Star-** I haven't decided if I want pairings yet. I'm not planning ahead, I'm just going with whatever I write next. Jeredu- Bad grammar is my pet peeve. I just found out after re-reading my chapter on FF that my word wasn't scanning my document for errors. It made me sad, but now I'm too lazy to go back and re-post . ;; 

**LuciousLadyLucius-** MINE O.O

**albino-yaoi- **Have you noticed that FMA/HP seems to more popular now? I know tons of people have written Naruto/HP. I guess Harry Potter is just a good crossover story? O.o

**Snowbluerat-** X3 Thanks. I think I owe my hopefully improving writing skills to FF. the only problem now is when I have story writing assignments for English, I have a hard time making them un-complicated and short. T.T

**Chapter 2:**

_Last time:_

_Dumbledor bowed, and then extended a hand. "Elric-san, allow me to formally welcome you to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_

Ed raised an eyebrow at the offered hand and made no move toward it. Instead, he opted to stare rudely at the white-haired man before him. Magic? Magic only existed in children's books. The only thing resembling magic in the world was alchemy, and that wasn't magic at all. He cast a sideways glance at Envy and met the sin's gaze. He saw the same look, suggesting silently that maybe Dumbledor had lost too many brain cells in a transmutation. Perhaps he had tried human transmutation, and the price had been his sanity? For a moment, they were mentally united against the crazy old man that was standing there smiling at them.

Ed coughed into his flesh hand politely and looked at Dumbledor. "With all due respect misuta-_san,_ **1**" Ed began, stressing the honorific far beyond politeness, "magic doesn't exist. It's not scientifically possible." He spoke as if it were a child before him, not an aged man. Dumbledor simply chuckled at this as he pulled what seemed to be a long, polished stick out of the pockets of his robes. He twirled it around in a few silly movements and said a word or two in a language that Ed didn't understand, then pointed it at the small cabinet next to Ed's bed. The bedside table contorted and twisted in on itself. Ed's eyes widened in horror, much as Al's did, when the transmutations stopped **2**. Where there had once been a small table now sat a small puppy, it's pink tongue hanging out cutely. Ed was instantly and painfully reminded on Nina, Tucker and Scar. The blood-stained wall still haunted Ed's dreams, and he wondered for a moment if he would find the puppy calling out to him, _Ed…ward…Edward-nii-san…_Ed gulped and choked as he saw visions of the eroded brick wall with horrible red blood being washed away by the cold, unforgiving rain as it beat down on anyone unlucky enough to have been caught outdoors.

A soft chuckle pulled him out of his thoughts, and Ed realized he had been staring, eyes still wide. "Surprised, I see," Dumbledor said. Ed's eyes narrowed.

"You monster!" he yelled, throwing off his covers and standing as tall as he could, which, is to say, not very tall at all. **3** "You…how can you mess with life so easily!" Dumbledor looked slightly taken aback. Apparently, this was not the reaction he expected. Ed snatched his clothes off of the bed with one hand and reached down with his other to retrieve the puppy before fleeing the hospital. Al was quick to follow, throwing Dumbledor a slightly suspicious look before going after his only family member.

"Nii-san!" he called, trying to catch up with Ed. The elder alchemist stopped suddenly, and Al jogged up to his side. Ed's bangs were shadowing his eyes, and he held the puppy close to his chest, almost tightly enough to hurt. "Nii-san..," Al suddenly found that he couldn't think of anything to say. Ed always dealt with his inner demons where Al couldn't see. Al never usually saw pain in Ed, not nearly as much as Al suspected his brother felt, and now that Ed was so clearly battling down intense raw emotion left him clueless as to what to say. However, it was Ed who broke the silence first.

"You know Al," he whispered dejectedly, "There are two things that still haunt me. One is our attempt to bring mom back. The other is Nina." His arms trembled around the puppy, and Al could see it was one of those rare times that Ed failed to hold back his emotions. The puppy whined and licked Ed's automail hand in a comforting gesture. Al looked around and spotted an empty room. From the desks and chairs, he assumed it to be a classroom, which would make sense, he remembered, seeing as Dumbledor had told him they were in a school. He tugged gently on Ed's arm to indicate where Al's destination was. Once the door was firmly shut behind them, Ed plopped down on a chair and loosened his grip on the animal in his lap.

Ed spoke suddenly and unexpectedly. "I can't accept things like this, Al. I just can't," he said quietly into the puppy's fur as he drew it close once again. " It's too much like Nina." Al sighed, sitting next to Ed.

" I know, nii-san. I hate it too. It's wrong for humans to play with life. But what's done is done now, and the most you can do is take good care of the puppy." He reached over and scratched a spot behind the puppy's ears. The small dog nipped playfully at the hand, and Al chuckled. Ed dropped his head and pulled the puppy close. Al was right. When had he become so wise? Or was it just that Ed had never listened? He didn't remember. Either way, Ed was not going to let this puppy meet the same fate as Nina. Nodding to himself, as if to confirm his plan, he set the puppy down on the floor. It whined pathetically and pawed at Ed's leg, begging to be held again. Al giggled.

"Looks like you've made friends already, nii-san." Al stated as he reached down and gently lifted the dog into his lap. Ed stood, stretched, and then began to strip off his hospital garments. Al sputtered and blushed, looking away, face flaming.

"Aw, Al, Don't be embarrassed. What have you got that I don't?" Ed asked as he tugged up his pants. Al didn't answer right away. However, when he did, his voice was small and tearful.

"A whole body."

Ed's expression fell, and he sat back down on his chair, shirt in hand.

"Nii-san, it's not fair! Why didn't you get your body back too!" Al's voice had risen steadily, and he looked over at Ed, tear-filled amber eyes following the edge of that automail that was attached at Ed's shoulder, some scars still standing out horrendously. Then the elder turned to face his brother and put on a smile that didn't fool either of them.

"Sometimes, Al, these things just happen, and we have to accept it. Plus, if I went back with no automail, Winry would kill me." He flexed his metallic fingers as he spoke, but despite his encouragement, Al's face crumpled, and thick pearly tears dripped down his cheeks. "Aw, Al, don't cry…please?" Ed began to mentally panic. His brother hadn't cried in years. How was he supposed to handle this? Ed got up and awkwardly pulled Al into his chest. Al didn't seem to notice his brother's unease, and quickly wrapped his thin arms around Ed's middle. The puppy whines, as if it were crying with Al. Ed petted Al's hair gently, waiting for the tears to diminish. When they finally did, Al was hiccupping.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, "I keep letting my emotions carry me away…" He sniffed and wiped his face in his sleeve. Now that Ed thought about it, it made sense that his brother was emotionally sensitive right now. His brother hadn't experienced emotion in years, and to suddenly regain those senses and feelings all at once must have been overwhelming. Ed tried his best to put on a bright smile as he lifted the puppy out of Al's lap.

"Well," he said, holding the dog up in front of himself, "What should we name her?"

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**1**This is sort of the Japanese equivalent to "mister" though I'm not sure of how polite it is, I just had the urge to put something Japanese there .

**2** I said transmutation because that's how Ed and Al would think of it.

**3** Sorry Ed X3

Well, I stopped there because A) it's late and I have school tomorrow, and B) I have no idea what to name the dog, so suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, also, they will eventually be sorted into houses in the school. Suggestions on where I should stick Ed would be appreciated also. X.x it's between Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

There were parts in this chapter that I really liked and some that I really didn't.

Ed: WHY THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME SHORT!

Me: o.o because…you are..?

Ed: D8

Al: Nii-san!

Ed: And why did you have me get nekkid in front of Al? He's ruined now! Innocence, DOWN THE DRAIN!

Me: (to Al) Is he always this…PMS-y?

Al: Yeah…he has the emotions of a Latin woman, doesn't he? He'd do well on a Spanish soap opera.

Ed: What are you taking about? (glares suspiciously)

Us: Nothing .

Edit: For some reason isn't saving all of my formatting. I had all the paragraphs indented, and asterics and stuff, but they all dissppear after I click the "save changes" button. Does anyone know howI can fix this?


	4. AN

Authors note:

Wow, I realize it's been a while. I am still writing, and the next few chapters are in my notebook. I never would have started posting this story in I knew my schedule would be this hectic. I go to school from 8 in the morning to 3, then I have work every day from 5 to 9, so any time between is used for homework, but I DO have this Saturday off, so expect the next chapter then. I haven't forgotten about you, I just haven't had any time at all. I really do apologize, but this story will continue.

ND


	5. Chapter 5

9

-1Wow. Long time no update. Don't hate me por favor.

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Last time:

"_Well," he said, holding the dog up in front of himself, "What should we name her?"_

---

Al regarded the dog for a moment, his eyes taking in the entire of the small puppy before shrugging. "She's your dog, Nii-san, you get to name her." Ed's eyes narrowed on thought. He was no good at this sort of thing. He and Al had never been allowed a pet in their childhood, and Ed forbade the smuggling of any animals inside Al's old body during their travels. Ed had no pet-naming experience to speak of.

"Hachi. (1)"

Al blinked, not sure if he heard his brother correctly. "…Hachi? I lied. You'r

e not allowed to name the dog."

"What?!"

"Face it Nii-san, you don't know how to properly name an animal!"

"I helped name you, didn't I? (2)"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Al huffed, crossing his arms and mock glaring at Ed.

The elder snorted. "You know exactly what I mean."

"No, _Nii-san­,_ I think you need to explain this a bit more. Are you insinuating that I am an animal?"

"Well, actually, you _are_ and animal. You are of the species "human". Need I go into further detail?"

"You know what I meant Nii-san!" Al pouted cutely, turning away from Ed, who smirked, fighting a laugh. He hugged the puppy to his chest with one hand and stroked it with the other. So what if Hachi was a strange name? Roy Mustang was even stranger (Ed always wondered what possessed his superiors parents to name him that). Was Hachi such a weird name?

"Well _I_ think it suits her." Ed stated, an air of finality to it, and Al knew that his brother wouldn't relent. Hachi yipped and wiggled to get down. He set her gently on the floor only to have her dance around his feet, pawing and nipping playfully. Ed smiled lightly and pulled his discarded shirt on before beckoning to Al. "Let's go outside and train a bit, if you're up to it. Your body's been getting lazy all these years," he suggested, looking at Al's thin and highly un-muscular form. Al's face lit up and he nodded vigorously. They ran out of the room, and Ed felt like they were in their old bodies back when they were children, They darted through the halls, Al giggling madly and Hachi bounding after them, pink tong flopping around wildly and brown eyes wide and alert. They chased each other aimlessly through the halls until they came upon a door that led outside. Ed flung himself on to the grass and lay in his back, looking skyward toward the deep blue sky dotted with fluffy, cotton-like puffs that some called clouds (though Ed preferred the term "floating inconveniences" because they always rained on him at the worst of times). Al flopped down next to him and made an "omph"ing noise as Hachi jumped onto his chest.

"I've forgotten what the grass feels like," Al mumbled, rolling over onto his stomach, dumping Hachi off and looking over to Ed with sparkling eyes. The elder's expression quickly fell, and he looked away from Al, whose brow creased in worry. "Oh Nii-san, I didn't mean it like that. I only mean that I'm happy now that I can feel everything you can again. I can taste and smell and feel and I have emotions. It's so amazing. I never would have appreciated them this much if I hadn't been in my armor for so long. We've already been through this. It's not your fault and I'll beat you up the moment you even think it." The alchemist sighed but said nothing. Hachi suddenly appeared in his line of vision and dragged his wet tongue right up Ed's face, making him emit a noise that sounded something like "yelch!" before swiping a sleeve across his mouth. Al snorted and gave the puppy a ruffle on his head. Before the younger brother knew what was happening, Ed had him pinned on his back.

"You let your guard down." Was all he said, an evil smirk thrown across his features. Al smirked right back. Bringing his feet up under Ed, he pushed, effectively rolling the older boy off of him before he scrambled to get his footing stabilized. He had barely gotten his balance when the first blow came. Al knew that Ed wasn't fighting hard, but even this level of combat was too hard for Al. even thought his mind was trained to fight, his new body wasn't capable of keeping up. Ed attacked and blocked only with his flesh limbs out of fear of hurting Al. Steel wasn't the thing one wanted to impale themselves on during light training. Al grinned as he kept going through the motions of sparring.

Sweat started to glisten on the younger brothers forehead, even though they had not been training for long, and Ed ordered a rest, much to Al's dismay.

"Brother, I was finally getting used to it!" he complained, flopping down with his back against a tree. Despite Al's complaints, Ed could clearly see that the exercise was making Al tired.

"Al, you need to work your body up to our old level of combat. That's going to take a long time. In the mean time, there's no need to be reckless and pull a muscle. You just got your body back, no use in beating it up already. There'll be plenty of time for me to do that later anyway." The alchemist said, smirking and sitting down next to Al, who frowned, delicate features twisting slightly.

"It's not nice to take advantage of my situation. You know full well that I've never lost to you in a fair fight." It was true, too, and Al knew that _Ed_ knew it. Now that Al was physically unable to match Ed's level was no reason to use it to his advantage. As soon as he was strong again, Ed would get what was coming to him. Al was unaware of the slightly evil smile that spread across his features, and Ed gave him a startled glance, not used to that sort of expression on his brothers face (or any expression, at that). He wondered what sort of sadistic thoughts were running through his head. Shuddering but not commenting, Ed petted the short length of Hachi's soft body. The little dog clambered onto Ed's lap, circled a few times, then plopped himself down for a nap. Ed smiled softly.

'_This dog has the right idea,' _Ed thought, laying down on the grass and pillowing his head on Al's thigh (3) and closed his eyes. Al laughed and ran his fingers through the rough strands of Ed's hair. Strange. Al had always imagined Ed's hair being soft and feathery, but in fact it was really straw-like. He supposed it was because Ed had never really taken an interest in his personal appearance, only going far enough in his grooming to stay presentable and sanitary.

Seeing his brother and the puppy drifting off to sleep made Al's eyelids become a burden to keep open, so he made himself comfortable against the tree he was leaning on and fell into a light nap, a soft smile gracing his gentle lips, his hand still on Ed's hair.

--------------------------

In Ed's opinion, he had not been asleep quite long enough before he awoke to the wet slapping of a slimy something against his face. He grimaced when he realized what it was, and held up an arm to block the attacking puppy tongue. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he saw that it was a little past noon, and Al was still dozing next to him.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" he said to Hachi, who was still attacking Ed's face with her tongue. An idea suddenly struck him, and grinning semi-evilly, he picked Hachi up and held her in front of Al's face. Hachi paused for a moment, confused, then started wagging her small tail back and forth when she realized that there was another face to lick right in front of her. Her whole body was wiggling with the new excitement, and Al groaned and cinched his face up, trying to get rid of the annoyance.

"Oh Aaaaalll…" Ed called, making sure Hachi was covering as much of his brothers face as she could, " Ototo, it's time to get up. I'm starving." It wasn't a lie, either. Who knows how long he'd been asleep in the hospital, and he hadn't eaten when he'd woken up. His stomach chose that moment to complain loudly at him for his neglect. "Ah, gomen, gomen," he said sheepishly, patting his stomach with the hand that wasn;t holding Hachi up.

"Nii-san!" Al exclaimed, pushing the older away blindly.

Ed stood. "C'mon, Al, let's go find something to eat." Hachi jumped at his heels as if she were agreeing. Al wiped the sleep from his eyes and stood also, stretching a bit. They made their way back to the castle, smiling and joking lightly. As they entered the castle, a stream of students walked by, chatting noisily. Ed fished around in his pockets, tugging on the gloves that always remained there. They were already attracting strange glances without him flaunting his auto-mail around. A few students whispered behind hands and books while the peeked curiously over at the brothers. Ed scowled at this. He had mistakenly thought that being absent from his own world, in which he was well known, that he might have gotten away from the talk and stares.

"This way, I think," he stated, indicating with his head which direction he intended heading in. Al nodded and followed, patting his leg to get Hachi's attention. The small dog had been sniffing the air with enthusiastic curiosity in the direction of the mass of students. Now however, that her attention had been diverted back to the Elrics, she bounded happily after them, inexperienced legs working awkwardly under her. After a few wrong turns and some cursing on Ed's part (much to Al's disapproval) they managed to make their way back to the hospital. Just as they rounded the corner, however, Dumbledor appeared, looking as serene and placid as he had earlier in the day. Ed's brow furrowed in anger, his amber eyes glaring with unmasked hate at the man before him. Hands clenched tightly in his pockets when Dumbledor smiled lightly at him as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, Elric-san, we've been looking for you. I dare say that Madam Pomfery is wanting her table back." He regarded the puppy with a nod of his head. Ed growled and Al scooped Hachi up protectively in his arms. She whined, licking his fingers as if to ask, 'What's wrong?'

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you, you bastard?!" Ed yelled, not bothering to hold back. Dumbledor looked slightly surprised.

"Wrong? Why, nothing is wrong, my dear boy, except for old age and perhaps a touch of madness, I'm perfectly fine. Now, as I said, our Hospital Wing is still short one table. Now, if you please." He held out two hands toward Al, waiting for the puppy to be placed in his hands. Al only have him a horrified look, turning away.

"Find yourself another table. I won't allow you to transmute Hachi. It's cruel and sick and I won't stand for it!" He made a swiping gesture with his auto-mail arm, as if to portray to the older man that he was not to take a step closer. The tension in the atmosphere was suffocating heavy, and it seemed to be pressing down on all three occupants of the hallway. A somber look settled over his features. Dumbledors beard twitched slightly, and Ed was slightly annoyed to find the man smiling at him.

"Of course. Now if you'll follow me back to the Hospital wing…Poppy is in quite a state." He swept off down the hall, robes swirling around his feet. Ed cast a look at Al before following. When they entered, they saw Envy lounging on his bed, ever-present smirk gracing his thin lips. Ignoring the sin for the moment, Ed placed the puppy down in his bed before tossing himself onto it, sprawling his limbs every which way. The old man pulled up a chair, settling down so he could face all three of the strangers at once.

"Now," he said gently, "there are some things that I need to discuss with you. I know you are not interested in becoming students here, but I'm sorry to say that wizarding law forbids you to leave at this moment. You will have to stay here for the time being."

Ed was the first to react. He sat bolt upright, anger rolling off of him in waves. "You listen here!" the blonde demanded, "I have been taking care of myself and my brother for over four years. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do! You have no right to say we can't leave!" Ed's angry fists were clenched in his lap. Dumbledor frowned slightly.

"In the eyes of the wizarding world, you are all still minors-"

This time Envy growled.

"Apparently you don't recall our earlier conversation. I am _far_ older at this moment than you will ever be, by about four hundred years! I will damn well leave when I like, which is now." The sin stood and walked briskly toward the door.

He didn't get very far.

Envy got about halfway before Dumbledor acknowledged that the boy wasn't turning back. With grace that looked as if it had taken years to accomplish, he whipped out the stick they had seen earlier, swirling it in the direction that Envy was walking in, and uttered a word that neither Al nor Ed had ever heard before. A jet of light shot past Envy before hitting the doors, causing them to swing shut with a BANG! that reverberated throughout the entire hospital wing. Envy reach the doors, grasping the handles and pulling, only to find that they didn't open.

"Open it damn it!" he yelled, twisting around to give the older man a glare.

"I am not finished speaking to you yet. Please, have a seat and hear me out." Ed was surprised that the headmaster was able to keep a calm demeanor. If Envy had spoken to him in that manner, the sin would have found his face punched in. Said sin gave the door a few more futile tugs before looking between the blockade between him and freedom and person who kept him captive.

"_Fine!_" Envy huffed. It was obvious that he was not used to being so helpless in any situation, and the change made him very irritable, much to Ed's delight.

"Allow me to correct my mistake. _Two_ of you are under the legal age in the wizarding world. However, that is not only what is keeping you here. You are foreign, neither magic nor muggle, and we are in a time of tense war. It would be unsafe and unwise to venture off by yourselves in a world you know nothing about at this moment." He folded his hands in his lap, stick having disappeared.

"But like I said…" then Ed paused, "Wait…how did you know that we were from another world?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. The older man chuckled.

"It's fairly obvious. You say "transmute" instead of "transfigure", your are not magic, yet you are not muggle, and you," he now turned his attention directly at Envy, "You are not human."

Envy's mouth twitched. "What's it to you, old man?" he asked, defensive instincts flaring immediately. Dumbledor sighed.

"There is a law against non-human creatures being unmonitored by the Ministry. If you want to leave, you have to agree to full-time Ministry surveillance. Though, I'm not sure if anyone in the Ministry will even be able to see that you are not human. I certainly wont be the one to tell." He winked a twinkling blue eye. Envy did not return any kind gestures.

"So you're saying I'm stuck here until I'm legal?!" Ed protested loudly. His face was contorted with anger.

"Nii-san, I think we should…if there's a war going on…" Al looked down at his hands nervously. Ed's face softened.

"Al, If I can manage to protect you from homunculi, Dante and the rest of the military, I think we'll be okay," the blonde said soothingly. Envy sneered.

"Don't forget, chibi, your baby brother is much more frail in this body."

"You leave Al alone. Any business you have is with me, not him!"

"We're here because of you, so I'll do as I please!"

"Look, first of all, it wasn't _me_ who preformed the transmutation. If_ you_ hadn't killed me to begin with, none of this would have happened! So it's _your _fault."

"Silence please!" Dumbledor commanded. The bickering ceased. "Now, I know that you all have your reasons for wanting to leave, and I daresay that you want to return to your world, but you would be much worse off if the ministry were to pick you up. Please believe me, the last thing you need is for the Ministry to discover you and where you're from. It's far safer for you to stay here. I believe, Edward, that you are sixteen now. When you turn seventeen, you will be able to claim guardianship over your brother and do as you please, and you, Envy, I am not going to force you to stay, but if you leave, I cannot offer you any protection from the government. I have something to offer you, and I hope that you will listen and consider it seriously." The man leaned back I his chair. Ed gave him a calculating look, but said nothing. Envy also said nothing, an ugly scowl across his features.

"As you know, this is a school for magical students. Stay here. Let us teach you about this world and how to use it's powers. Your return home may depend on it. Next year, when Edward turns seventeen, if you decide you don't like it, that you are not gaining anything from it, you are all free to leave, no strings attached. You can't go out into the wizarding world ignorant to how it works."

Al's eyes lit up.

"Oh, Nii-san, can we? Can we please stay? I want to lean about this place! And what if we do get caught by the Ministry…" he trailed off uncertainly. Ed looked thoughtful.

"I have no money, nothing to put either of us though school. If we leave, I could at least get a job and earn money." the alchemist argued.

"Now now, I am offering a personal invitation. You need not worry about the money. If you feel so compelled, you may pay me back when you leave, but I will not begrudge you the loan. It would be unfair."

Ed leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands. He had a contemplative look on his face. It was guaranteeing food, shelter and even school for free for one year. Ed would have passed it up in an instant, but he could see how much Al wanted it, and the old man did have a point; knowledge of this world may be the key to getting back to Ametris.

There was a few moments where there was silence before it was broken by Ed saying, "Okay, we'll stay."

Envy was not so easily persuaded.

"What benefits do I really have by staying here? Returning to our world doesn't matter much to me. Why would I want to stay here?"

"I can offer protection from the government. Maybe not completely, but certainly far more than you would have trying to make it on the streets. There is nothing you can lose from being here, I am promising you food and shelter for the next year, at least."

It surprised Ed. He expected a huge debate and much fighting. The blonde did not expect the sin to stretch, yawn, flop onto a bed and mumble out "fine, whatever," and turn away. Needless to say, his mouth was probably hanging wide open. Then he groaned.

He, Al and Envy were going to be spending the next year in the same building every single day.

Oh joy.

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(1) For anyone who's seen the NANA movie…heehee…

(2) For the sake of my story…why the hell not. XD

(3) Just to squash any thoughts right now, there is no Elricest in this story. Don't read too far into brotherly affections.

Ed: Well, great job idiot. You've only waited MONTHS to update this.

Me: I'm sorry! I've been super busy with school….

Al: Ed, leave her alone. She has a lot to do.

Ed: Yeah, like what?

Me: … you asked. takes deep breath School, work, projects, crew, volunteer, drawing, cleaning, working some more, school some more, and hanging out with friends.

Envy: You forgot "reading yaoi"

Me: OO fwaps Envy

Envy: OW! What the hell was that for?!

Me: YOU'RE the one taking my yaoi! I was WONDERING where it was disappearing to!

Envy: …shit.

Ed: Well…that explains a lot… . ;

Al: oO what's yaoi?


	6. Beta and note on pairings

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a beta reader. I need someone who is willing to take some time, look out for spelling errors, but also give their opinion on my writing, on whether the events are logical and the characters are portrayed appropriately.

Also, there have been some questions about pairings. There will be no pairings in this story. No yaoi, no Elricest, no MxF, nothing. The urge is there, believe me, I am a sucker for romance and all that mushy stuff, but I don't want to ruin the story, and it would be too out of character, I think. I hope that clears everything up! Thanks for all of the reviews so far, they're really encouraging.

If you are SERIOUSLY interested in being my beta, PM me!

NejiD


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